I am a 21 year old Asian Australian American who hails from Seattle, WA, but is a current college student in Northampton, MA. I am a big believe in beauty begins from the inside, before being emitted from the outside. I am not the typical model thin or model tall fashion blogger. I have curves that I am proud of, and I try to style according to who I am. I enjoy photography (outside of my blog), reading, challenging myself, and having fun while I’m still young.

What do you do outside of blogging (think school or work):

I am a full-time college student, so my number one priority is school, and my second is my blog. I am a current Junior, and am about to enter my last year of college this Fall. The stress and planning required is real.

What do you like to do on your down time?

As noted above, I enjoy photography, and reading. I am also an avid Netflix fan but also enjoy interacting with others and playing board games.

Blog niche: Lifestyle (Movie, Books, and other Reviews, Advice, Life Lessons), Beauty (Skincare and Make Up Reviews/Tutorials), Travel (Travel Diaries), Fashion (How to Style, OOTD’s), and Bullet Journaling (new, as of late January 2017).

What’s the purpose of your blog? Self-Discovery, while helping others who are just as lost as me to find their happiness.

Who’s your target? Anyone and everyone really. While I do focus on Beauty and Fashion, I believe that inspiration can be drawn from anywhere if one looks hard enough.

What’s the best way for your audience to contact you? Email, Social Media, the works.

How would you describe your blogging style? I am very honest, maybe sometimes brutally honest. I never write anything I am uncomfortable with, or lie to sell anything.

When did you start blogging? I started blogger Spring Senior year of High School in 2014. I was bored out of my mind, and needed to do something that would occupy my mind. It took off from there.

What inspired you to start blogging? I was amassing a lot of products, and I wanted to review them. I was also a fan of many YouTubers, but at that time I didn’t have the resources to start a YouTube channel, so I went to blogging instead.

What’s the biggest change in your life since you started blogging? It’s become my baby, and it’s become something that I think about constantly (or at least when I have a moment to think about it). I think blogging has changed my life. It made me realize that I can be someone I never thought was possible.

Blogging goals:

Short term: To encourage self-love, self-discovery, and to be kind to one another.

Long term: To meet new people, develop new relationships, and be a source of trust from my readers.

If you could start blogging all over again, what would you do differently? I think I would’ve used more pictures and had more of a plan. I started it without really thinking, and that’s why it’s taken me a lot longer than others to be a reliable source of information to my readers. But I’m slowly learning, and understanding what I really want to write about.

How do you motivate yourself to continue blogging? It’s my creative outlet, and without it I feel like I would’ve had nowhere to turn. With blogging, I’m my own boss, and I work alone. And I enjoy being able to call the shots on my own.

What attributes has helped you become successful blogger? Persistence, motivation, a lot of planning and time management, and just enjoying the process.

How have you tried to increase your blog traffic? Which way has been the most successful? Building a network. Having other bloggers out there who know who you are, what you do, is helpful to bring in new readers.

What’s your favourite social media platform and why? I really enjoy Facebook, because you can share your post and your pictures while forming new relationships with your readers a comment away.

Most of your traffic comes from which social media platform? Facebook, for the above reason ☺

What’s your favourite blogging group on Facebook? I really love Millennial Blogger Network. They hold all their members accountable, and that’s been a huge source of help.

Do you have a freebie for your readers? If so, what is it? Do we need to subscribe to receive it? No – not at the moment.

What’s your greatest win so far with blogging? Starting a completely new blog with a new look. Prior to my current blog, it was at another domain, and I felt like it wasn’t giving me the look I desired. Now it’s almost the way I want it to be, which I am very much loving.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve so far with blogging? Success isn’t overnight. As much as we see successful bloggers, they didn’t get there without hard work.

Has blogging surprised you in any way? If so, how? It has inspired me to deliver more high quality content i.e. higher quality photographs.

How often do you publish a post? 3 times a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Have you had writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it? I have, more than once. And usually it’s over in a few days. I overcome it by looking at other blogs for inspiration. Instagram is a great place for inspiration as well.

I like their blogs because their blog posts are not only part of my niche, but it’s also inspirational in the way their blog looks.

What type of blogs are you interested in reading and why? I enjoy reading posts that tell me something about the person behind the blog. I enjoy it because it makes me feel like I know them a little bit more.

List the top 5 blogs you are reading currently: (Names and blog URLs)

Claire – heyclaire.com

Chriselle – thechrisellefactor.com

Aimee – songofstyle.com

Estee – esteelalonde.com

Jessica – diaryofatorontogirl.com

Give advice to someone who wants to start blogging:

Just begin it, and worry about other stuff later. You don’t know if you are cut out to do something unless you start it.

Tell us one thing your readers don’t know about you:

I am an open book – if you ask me, I am almost bound to answer.

Anything else you’d like to share with us? Go for it!!!

Leave a message for your readers:

Thank you for your interest and for your constant support. Please let me know if there is anything you ever want to know. I am also open to opinions and suggestions for making the sofieyah diaries more accessible and user friendly. I appreciate your interest. Don’t forget to sm:)le today – tsd